


DEVILISH

by P5soleilnoir



Series: Goro Week 2019 [7]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Angst, Friends to Enemies, Gen, Goro Week 2019, p5soleilnoir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 12:16:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20835320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/P5soleilnoir/pseuds/P5soleilnoir
Summary: Three masks upon Goro's face result in three very different interactions with his precious partner, his dear teammate, and his worst enemy.





	DEVILISH

**Author's Note:**

> Penultimate story with day 7 of Goro Week: Detective, Phantom Thief, and Assassin! This one-shot is one of those that gave me the most trouble, as I had absolutely no idea what to write unlike the other stories... In the end, the result is rather straightforward. Please enjoy!

The Leblanc coffee shop was usually serene, free from Tokyo's hurried and frantic lifestyle – it seemed almost like another dimension where time and space were separate from the regular world. The dim light spelled tranquility, the quiet TV report in the background enough of a white noise to evoke a certain drowsiness out of whoever cared to listen; all in all, it was a safe and peaceful bubble that one who yearned to forget their troubles and worries could relax in. Today, however, there was only a sense of urgency in the air, made manifest by two boys sharing a very hurried discussion over a table that had practically disappeared under dozens of files and pictures.  
  
“And if he was seen at around 6 at the Wilton by the receptionist, then his alibi is an entire fraud. Yes, it all makes sense now—that woman testifying about him leaving the hotel at 5 had to be lying. It is very common in such cases.”  
  
Akechi nodded to himself, hand under his chin. His cup of coffee had long gone cold, but he seemed too engaged in his speculations to notice.  
  
“Think you can prove she lied?” Ren asked as he leaned over the table.  
  
“Well, I might have some ideas… but nothing conclusive yet. Maybe—”  
  
“She definitely looked suspicious.”  
  
“How so?” Akechi asked, blinking at him in confusion and then lets out a sigh as Ren merely shrugs, “So this is only based on a hunch? That won’t cut it, Ren…”  
  
“Um, she did seem agitated. She kept stuttering when I saw her,” Ren explained, wracking his brains for his memories of only a few hours earlier. Akechi didn’t seem convinced, prompting a spark of embarrassment to shoot to his mind as he quickly added, “I-I mean, I know that doesn’t sound like much, but still… She was constantly checking her watch, like she wanted to make—”  
  
“She was checking her watch? Are you sure?” Akechi exclaimed, rising from his seat so suddenly Ren couldn’t help but recoil. Akechi’s serious gaze pierced into his own, never blinking, marked by a frown.  
  
“Uh... Yeah,” Ren answered, a bit taken aback. “She wouldn’t stop looking at it.”  
  
“And that was on the day of the incident, right? After we found out she testified in favor of the suspect?”  
  
Akechi’s excitement was palpable.  
Ren nodded hesitantly, almost certain something was eluding him.  
  
“I see… Well, that’s interesting,” Akechi said as he sat down again, a defiant smile tugging at his lips. “Very, very interesting…”  
  
“What is?” Ren asked, feeling a bit foolish for feeling the need to when Akechi consciously or unconsciously made it seem like it should be obvious. Fortunately for him, Akechi didn’t throw out any quips or even commented on Ren’s ignorance; he merely brought his hand to his chin again, features plain with recollection.  
  
“When she gave me her testimony, I asked her how come she was so certain the suspect left at 5—she told me it was because she checked the time displayed on the reception hall’s clock. And when I asked why the clock and not her watch, she said it wasn’t working at the time… that she was supposed to have it fixed the following evening.”  
  
“So that means… Uh, what exactly?”  
  
“It means she lied, and I’m very interested in knowing why she did,” Akechi replied, his eyes glinting in triumph. “It could lead to the truth, like it could lead to a dead end, but either way, we’re making progress.”  
  
On this, Akechi stood up and skirted around the booth, grabbing his attaché-case all the while. “Sorry for leaving a mess behind, but I promise I’ll tidy up when I come back.”  
  
“Uh, where are you going?” Ren asked, his lenses reflecting light in such a way that his eyes were hidden.  
  
“To the Wilton, of course. I have many questions for that woman—or I should say this accomplice,” Akechi replied with a playful wink. “And it’s because you were there that I could figure that out.”  
  
Leblanc’s bell chimed as he opened the front door, but he didn’t leave until after he glanced over his shoulder. The warm, grateful smile he gave Ren was accompanied by a crescent-shaped gaze.  
  
“Thank you, Watson-kun.”  
  
  
  
  
Inside Niijima Sae’s Palace, a fierce battle was raging. Left and right, objects flew off, glass walls shattered, spells bounced away, with a group of nine thieves in the middle of the action.  
  
“Doing good, Skull! Mona, it’s your turn!”  
  
“On it!”  
  
Encouraged by Navi’s cheers, Mona flung himself up in the air, sling ready to fire, before riddling the nearest Shadow with projectiles. Panther followed suit, and mere moments later, the Shadow collapsed on its side, disintegrating into thin air.  
  
“You did it!” came Navi’s voice from above, Necronomicon doing a joyous somersault in the air to match her excitement. “Now you can—ah, wait! They want more?!”  
  
Like one, all heads whipped to the pack of Shadows that had just showed up, apparently ready to avenge their fallen kind: they advanced, no, lunged at the thieves, a bloodlust shining upon their eyes like Joker had rarely seen before. With a smirk, he watched as his teammates summoned their Personas and fought back using their most formidable strength – Queen jumped on Johanna and went full throttle, ramming into a couple of Shadows like she was a human bowling ball and they were glorified pins. Fox unsheathed his katana and sliced another Shadow apart, time slowing for a second or two before moving again and each limb to fly off in a downpour of blood. Noir brandished her axe above her head, carried by the momentum of her swing before it landed squarely upon another Shadow’s skull while Milady’s fire cannons did short work of the rest. Skull, Panther, and Mona were covering them in the meantime, repelling whatever sneak attacks some lesser Shadows attempted. And at last, Crow stood there, dodging with grace a sweep that might have been lethal before retaliating furiously tenfold; there was some kind of permanent bliss etched along his features, as though he were having fun, as though the thrill of fighting for his life made him feel alive.  
  
Joker’s grin widened. He couldn’t claim he was indifferent to the adrenaline pumping through his veins either. The goosebumps covering every last inch of his skin could attest to that.  
  
“Joker, those two Shadows to your left—they’re weak to darkness. You know what you have to do!”  
  
Not needing to be told twice, Joker dashed off, hand already gripping his mask as he prepared himself to call Arsène, when—  
  
“Ah! Crow, behind you!”  
  
Joker whirled on the spot almost on instinct, utterly forgetting about his own opponent the instant he heard Navi’s warning shout – Crow, whose eyes had gone wide, scarcely had time to blink before spinning around and stepping one pace back as a Shadow charged at him, shaped like a white, ferocious lion. In a split second, it had already crossed the distance between them and lunged, its huge paws colliding with Crow’s shoulders as it landed on top of him and pinned him to the floor. A hair-rising roar ensued; strings of drool dripped down its mouth as the beast’s deadly jaws widened and dove for its prey, but Crow was entirely trapped, unable to so much as reach for his mask or weapons. A silent scream tore across his horrified face, his wide eyes reflecting nothing but sharp teeth and—  
  
“Back off!”  
  
The sound of the report cut the air, eliciting a unanimous freeze the space of a split second. Only the faintest splatter of blood trickled upon Crow as the bullet pierced the Shadow’s temple and killed it dead on the spot. The next moment, its collapsed frame was vanishing into thin air and Crow bolted to his feet, already taking aim at the remaining Shadows again – he seemed visibly shaken by the close encounter, but the relief in his smile was apparent all the same.  
  
“Thank you, Joker!”  
  
  
  
  
The interrogation room was simple. Dark, small, a mere rectangle with no exit save for one door, a table and two chairs for sole furniture. It was deep underground, meaning anything could happen in there and the world would be none the wiser… given that the light upon the camera was hopelessly off. Even in his drug-induced state, Ren hadn’t failed to notice – and his stomach could only flip in reaction.  
  
Akechi, for his part, didn’t seem too worried about alarming details such as these. In fact, he looked positively relaxed, his features registering nothing but an innocent, meek little smile. Smoke was still escaping from the barrel of his weapon, the smell of gunpowder quickly filling the room and lacing with the one of fresh blood.  
  
“Without you, we would never have made it this far. I am intent on letting you know.”  
  
Akechi’s big, round eyes were forming two perfect crescents on his face. If he felt unnerved by the dead body at his feet bathing in its own blood by his own hand, it didn’t show. Actually, it seemed almost as though he was discussing something about as exciting as the weather.  
  
“I suppose I owe you my gratitude. You truly played your part perfectly, from the beginning to the very end.”  
  
A little bow illustrated those words, dripping with false amiability and irony in equal parts. Ren stared, features unreadable. In his mind, no thought managed to form and live, as though sucked into the black hole at the end of Akechi’s firearm. He didn’t feel anything, not fear, not anger, not sadness. Only true nihil. But then, Akechi’s finger pressed further down the trigger, and he knew this was the end.  
  
The last thing he saw in his final moments was Akechi’s handsome features shifting to a twisted mask, unrecognizable to the point that he didn’t look like the same person anymore. Eyes widened, flashing with a hint of insanity that sent a single shiver down Ren’s spine. But the worst, most disturbing change had nothing to do with the sheer madness upon this gaze or the tightening of his index finger over the gun. Akechi’s soft smile had vanished as well… gone in favor of a manic grin that Ren could only describe as demonic.  
  
“Thank you… Ren.”

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Take a look at [my Twitter account](https://twitter.com/p5soleilnoir) if you're interested in my fanfic updates, sneak peeks of future stories, chatting with me, or otherwise seeing 99% of Goro pictures and content!
> 
> [My profile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/P5soleilnoir/profile) is regularly updated in accordance with my current and future projects, so feel free to check it out every now and then!


End file.
